The Spirit World

Today’s Happy Hour post is going to take quite a little twist - next week we will return to our regularly scheduled program… I hope you will stick with me!
As a person who loves food, drink, entertaining, sharing it all with friends and family I wish that everyone could be as lucky as I […]

Everyone is familiar with the cocktail shaker. They come in a broad range of shapes, sizes, and colors. Some are designed specifically for serious bartenders, while others appear to be more appropriate for decorative purposes then actually being used.
When you get right down to it, there are two different kinds of cocktail shakers. The most […]

Summer may be officially over in my part of the world, but someone forgot to tell the weather. After a week of rain and cold, we’ve been blessed once again with gorgeous blue skies and warm evenings. So, I’m ignoring the calendar, and clinging to my last bit of deck time with a little cocktail […]

I had not read a single word of Marcel Proust’s expansive multi-volume novel Remembrance of Things Past (or if you prefer—as I do–the title In Search of Lost Time) when I picked up and read Alain de Botton’s book How Proust Can Change Your Life. I was unwilling to commit the time required to […]

A cocktail served witha proper ‘collar’

Last week we discussed the importance of proper measurements of the individual ingredients going into a cocktail. Before we leave the notion of measurement behind, I’d like to provide some details on the flip side of this issue and cover the final measurements of the finished drink itself.
As I walk […]

Oktoberfest celebrations around the world are off and running with several having already been completed. The original celebration in Munich, Germany started on September 16th and continues through October 3rd. You can read all kinds of interesting facts about this celebration in the Wikipedia.
You are most likely to find celebrations in areas where […]

photo by Lauren Dobkin and from the AOL site
Fall has arrived and that means a few things: the temperatures start dropping; the trees start turning color; and the new interactive online games are launched. Okay, maybe that last one isn’t something you immediately think of when you think of fall but it’s happening […]

I’ve only been to Jamaica once and that was as part of a cruise. So I was only on the beautiful island for a day. My memories of this island are of green and verdant vegetation; turquoise water and endless beaches; and lots of sun.
There are other not so pleasant memories, too. The […]

Over the last several months I’ve focused on exposing a selection of cocktails that represent some of the best “classic” cocktails and how to make them properly. But this section is “Mixology 101″, and there is a lot more about Mixology then just cocktail recipes. Technique, tools, products, and knowledge are all involved in understanding […]

(Sangria Still Life © 2006 Nika Boyce)
A good sangria is like an attentive partner on your journey into an agreeable evening. The first sips are scintillating, the fruit sings and delights. Soon it is time for tapas or other favorite snacks, priming the appetite for what is to come or to buffer the […]